Call it Anything but Love
by thedaysarefading
Summary: Elena's become a vampire, but not without difficulty. As she settles in she realizes things are so different from before, and she's finding that maybe, just maybe, she made the wrong decision where the Salvatores are concerned. Picks up where season 3 left off. Rated M for future possibilities.
1. Chapter 1

Damon took the multitude of items and gingerly placed them in box upon box. Elena said she would get to it sometime today, but he'd decided to take it upon himself. The girl had enough on her plate as it was, and regardless of how small a task this was, he felt that he should at least do something for her.

Elena's transition hadn't happened with ease. When she woke up she was completely confused as to why she was even alive. And once they'd explained to her exactly what happened, she had a look of disgust on her face when she glanced at the lone bag of blood.

When she'd blatantly refused it Damon began to argue with her. As per usual she was acting all too stubborn for his liking.

And as for Stefan? He'd muttered how he'd wish Elena would complete the transition, but in the end it was _"still her decision."_

Don't even get Damon started on his brother's free will crap. He gets it, you need to be able to have freedom, and not have every choice made for you. But really? We're talking about life or death here!

He just couldn't wrap his head around it. While Stefan supposedly loved her with _"all his being" _(ack!Don't even let Damon talk about how cheesy a line _that_ was) how is it possible for Stefan to talk about Elena dying so calmly? Why wasn't he trying to make sure she survived?

And that's probably where they differed most. Stefan cared more about "loosing Elena's respect" and staying in her good graces than he did for challenging her when she was so clearly in the wrong. And Damon, he let her do what she liked, unless it was any of the following: reckless, stupid, and reckless. (And knowing Elena, her plans and ideas were each of them in some way or another.)

She looked at Damon triumphantly after his brother spewed that idiotic free will line, and he thought about how he'd never met someone else in his lifetime that felt as determined to die as she did.

After their comments bounded back and forth, Damon's points making more sense than hers, he grew tired of the conversation. He'd decided to bring out the big guns and go for the kill.

Damon softly pointed out that without her, Jeremy would be truly alone, now that _both_ Jenna and Alaric were gone for good. A vampire Elena was better than no Elena at all. As if to solidify his point, Jeremy walked in the door not seconds later. Damon could see how he had her, and without much more protest she promptly drank the blood.

Now here Damon was not week later, cleaning out a room for Jeremy all the way across the boarding house.

Not that he had anything against him, that wasn't why he sought a bedroom so far from Elena's (she was sleeping in Stefan's room). Rather, Elena still didn't have the best self-control in the world. He wasn't about to take any chances and put Jeremy in a room not ten feet away from hers.

And why was Jeremy staying with them you ask? Though Damon would never admit it, he felt sorry for the kid. Since Elena was staying with them at the boarding house Jeremy would have been all alone in a house that held nothing but memories of his parents and Jenna. Not to mention the fact that he'd seen Alaric's ghost in the hallway the night of the crash. It wasn't fair to leave the kid with his mind running rampant with thoughts of "Why does everyone have to die on me?"

And since then Elena was never alone at all really. For just about every second of the day someone was by her side, helping her to make sure she had a grip on everything.

The only one who Damon hadn't speak to Elena was Bonnie. The last time he saw them together was the day Bonnie made Elena her daylight ring. Since then she was nowhere to be seen.

Being who she was, Bonnie was probably trying to process the fact that this actually happened. While Damon couldn't exactly blame her, he thought it wasn't exactly right for her to ignore Elena at a time like this.

Damon tossed a couple more items in the nearly full box before stacking it alongside the other three. He grabbed a suitcase and a box preparing to make his way out of the room, when he glanced at the doorway. Stefan was standing there, leaning against the door jamb with nonchalance.

"So brother...where do you plan on heading next?"

Damon looked at him quizzically. "What are you talking about? I'm just clearing the room for baby Gilbert." _Did Stefan seriously think he'd take off at a time like this?_

Realization dawned upon Stefan. "Oh. I just, I'd figured you were leaving because of that pact we'd made."

Damon snorted. "You're not going to get rid of me that easily little brother." He sidestepped Stefan and began to head to the next room over to deposit the stuff. "You actually thought I was going to leave Elena when she needs us all most? Besides, I don't think I was going to leave even if she hadn't been turned."

Stefan's eyes darkened a shade. "And why exactly is that?"

Damon sighed. "Because Stefan, don't you think Elena's lost enough people in her life? How happy do you think she would be if I just up and disappeared? Yeah I know, she chose you but I don't really care at this point. We're friends, as much as I know that bothers you, and I doubt she'd be elated to see me leave, even if I am, well, me."

"I just thought had it have been me, I'd probably have left because I'm not exactly ecstatic at the thought of you two ever being together."

"And that is the eternal difference between you and I, brother. While you're all for being an insufferable martyr in times of need, you're not as selfless as you appear. And I get it, believe me. It's so much easier to be selfish and save yourself the pain, but we both know that's not the right thing to do." Damon paused. "Besides, at this point, it shouldn't matter how I feel seeing you two as a couple again. The right thing to do is be there for her regardless of how I feel."

* * *

**So this is my first Vampire Diaries story. I'm not sure where exactly it's going to go, or the number of chapters, but I have a good feeling about it if that counts for anything!**


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't until nearly a week after the incident the first moment hit her like a freight train.

She was sitting in the passenger seat of Caroline's car as they drove to the outskirts of Mystic Falls where most of the trees and woodland creatures were located.

Elena wasn't exactly opposed to human blood, she just figured she might be able to keep a grip on herself easier if she became accustomed to animal blood. And she thought it might…just might jelp her retain her humanity. (She shoved away the thought that screamed at her to look at how well this particular life choice worked out for Stefan.)

They were passing the marker to the beginning of the woods when Elena stiffened.

_Before her eyes she saw the night clear as day. She was walking alone, and it was the night her parents drove off Wickory Bridge. _

"_I'll call you later." She heard herself say as she hung up the phone._

_With a ghostly noise Damon appeared in front of her. "Katherine?"_

_When she didn't reply his face dissipated into something resembling disappointment, _

"_Um, no…I…" Elena looked around. "I'm Elena." _

"_Oh. You've…" Damon shook his head hesitating. "You just look…I'm sorry, you just really remind me of someone." He carefully walked closer to her. "I'm Damon."_

"_Not to be rude or anything, Damon, but it's kind of creepy that you're out here in the middle of nowhere."_

"_You're one to talk. You're out here all by yourself."_

"_It's Mystic Falls. Nothing bad ever happens here." She shrugged simply._

_Things were silent before she spoke again. "I got into a fight with my boyfriend."_

"'_Bout what? May I ask?" He added, raising his hands. _

_She shook her head. "Life, future. He's got it all mapped out."_

_Damon's mouth turned down for a second. "You don't want it?"_

_She shrugged again. "I don't know what I want."_

_He tilted his head, "Well that's not true. You want what everybody wants." _

"_What? Mysterious stranger who has all the answers?" _

_He chuckled. "Well let's just say I've been around a long time." He gave her that look where his eyes sparkled with something she could never put a name to. "I've learned a few things."_

"_So, Damon. Tell me, what is it that I want?"_

_He eyed her for a moment, before continuing on with absolute certainty. "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion," Damon came closer, "An adventure, and even a little danger." _

_Things were silent for a moment. _

"_So, what do you want?"_

_Damon shot her a puzzled look while he floundered for a reasonable response. _

_In the distance a car honked breaking them out of their own private bubble._

"_That's my parents." When she turned around to look at him again his face was mere inches away from hers. _

"_I want you to get everything you're looking for. But right now, I want you to forget that this happened. Can't have people knowing I'm in town yet." He smiled, and then became completely serious. "Goodnight Elena." _

With that the moment was swept away and she opened her eyes to the scene of trees for miles on end.

The first thought she had was, _What the hell was that? A dream she had? No. A memory? It couldn't be. _

And then she realized it was entirely possible.

First indignation threatened to flow through her, at the realization he compelled her.

As the tendrils of anger slowly faded away she began to focus on the facts she was just presented.

She met Damon first. And obviously that didn't really matter much to her. What mattered was the way he behaved. Thinking back to the person Damon was when he first met Elena, how cold and violent he was, she was surprised at how he acted. He could have turned her on the spot, kidnapped her, done any number of the nefarious things other people thought he was capable of, all because she resembled Katherine.

Rather, she caught a glimpse of the person she'd always known he was.

Before her in that moment, he was stripped bare of his carefully crafted façade. He joked with her, they _flirted_, and he…

Damon completely understood Elena within mere moments of meeting her.

When she was sixteen she wanted all of that. Being a teenager with no worries of the supernatural and a happy family she wanted a love that was all of what he'd described.

She had the perfect life, the perfect everything. But for some reason, she wasn't happy. She didn't want the cliché high school romance.

Elena wanted something that was perfectly imperfect. She wanted something that, regardless of how many problems they had, always seemed to work out in the end.

She was so done with having a standard, run-of-the-mill high school experience that she craved the kinds of adventurous love she read about in those silly vampire romance novels she had stashed under her bed.

Elena couldn't wrap her mind around this. She –

Caroline's bubbly voice broke apart her silent reverie.

"Elena, are you sure you want to live off of animal blood? I get that you know, you want to try it, but I don't think you understand exactly what it means."

Elena nodded, "I know. I have to feed more frequently, it's not exactly scrumptious, and I'll be slightly impaired when it comes to my strength and abilities. I know Caroline." Elena chuckled. "I'll be fine mom. I know what I'm getting myself into."

Caroline smiled, shaking her head. "You really won't understand until you've tried to live off of it. It never really satisfies your hunger. But I guess you'll see once you've tried it. By the way, when you get tired of raccoon on a stick, you can always ask me to help you with human blood."

Elena smiled too, before following Caroline from the car into the forest.

"Okay Elena." Carline stopped them about two miles in. "I want you to look around for something like a raccoon or a deer, I don't really care. Just please do not go after the bunnies. They're pretty much a waste of time. They're too small to get much of anything from them."

Elena gave her a look. "And how do you propose I actually catch something?"

Caroline rolled her eyes at her friend's ignorance, and she laughed. "With your speed. And you don't have to focus on it too much, but try not to make such loud steps, animals can hear, you know."

Elena shoved her friends shoulder, smiling as well. "Oh shut up."

"One last thing. If you focus you can hear them sometimes. It's hard to explain how, but you can kind of tell where they."

"Because that really helps." Elena laughed at how vague Caroline was.

"You'll get what I mean if you try. And don't worry, I'll be right behind you. If you happen to come across a hiker or just someone, run the other way."

"I know, mother." Elena laughed, rolling her eyes. "Care, don't worry. Everything's going to be fine."

In the end it took Elena about two hours to catch a reasonably sized deer, a few other animals, and even then she wasn't really full. She knew she'd had enough blood to sustain herself, but what hadn't ceased was the slight burning in her throat, telling her hunger wasn't fully satisfied.

She shoved the nagging sensation to the back of her mind.

The past couple days she'd been eating food like a regular human would. She didn't need to, and it was more out of comfort that she did.

And obviously being in a house full of men none of them bothered to wash the dishes, so there they were overflowing in the Salvatore's kitchen sink.

Elena decided it was about time that the dishes get done, so she began to fill the sink with soapy water.

Stefan was upstairs and Damon was nowhere to be found.

Damon. There was so much she'd never understand about him. The way he was so –

She shook her head. Now was not the time.

She was about halfway done when Jeremy walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, 'Lena." He grabbed an apple and sat on the barstool. "How are you?"

"Pretty good, Jer." Elena ground out through tight lips. Even though he was four feet away she felt like his throat was pressed up against her ear. Her teeth threatened to elongate. "What're you doing here? Not that I don't love you."

He chuckled. "Damon actually told me to meet him here. Remember? According to him I'm living here now. I guess he felt bad for leaving me alone." Jeremy laughed to himself. "I'm not five years old. I don't need baby sitters."

"Oh yeah." She glanced at him for a brief moment. She could see in his eyes he was grateful for this.

She looked away again locking her mouth shut. The burning in her throat was If she didn't get out of here soon, she was going to do something to Jeremy. And she didn't want for that to happen.

Stefan chose that moment to walk in, and for the moment she was grateful. Elena thought that with Stefan there the edge would be taken off.

And she was wrong.

Stefan laughed at the sight of Elena doing to dishes. It was entirely too domestic a scene.

He kissed her cheek and grinned brightly.

Ne nodded to Jeremy. "What's up?"

Jeremy shrugged. "Nothing. Just waiting for Damon to show up."

Stefan nodded.

And then Elena thought, maybe Stefan would see how tense she was. And she was entirely wrong about that too.

With each passing second she felt like she was going to pounce on Jeremy. Stefan and Jeremy were engaged in conversation, trapping Elena as they tried to get her to participate as well.

Every time she tried to make an excuse to leave, Stefan would make one to get her to stay.

She was sitting tautly as far as she could from Jeremy. Her jaw clenched. Neither of the boys paid attention to the rigidity that was radiating off of her body in waves.

She thought about just getting up and leaving, but they were sitting by the only exit out of the kitchen. And Elena was afraid that if she got any closer she would do something terrible.

The aching in her gums refused to cease and it was taking all her concentration she had to hold onto her composure.

It was then that Damon's face appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Jeremy." Damon nodded to the youngest Gilbert and Jeremy smiled at him.

Damon's eyes traveled to Elena's form and his brow instantly furrowed. His face transitioned from confused to frustration in an instant, his eyes flicking to the back of Stefan's head.

Damon walked over to Elena, touching her upper arm. "I have to show you something, come here for a second."

Stefan didn't seem to notice as Damon began to lead Elena towards to only exit.

As she passed Jeremy her face threatened to vamp out, but as Damon's hand touched her lower back she felt a strange sort of relief wash over her.

He didn't stop dragging her along until they were well into the living room.

"Are you okay?"

She looked at him puzzled. "What?"

"Don't pretend you weren't about to rip into Jeremy. I could see it in your eyes. You felt like you were going to do something you'd regret."

"I had it under control, Damon."

"Not from where I was standing."

"Damon I can handle myself."

He rolled his eyes. She was too stubborn.

"I never said you couldn't. My question still stands, are you okay?"

She glared at him for a moment, until her eyes fell upon his. They were full of nothing but concern. Her death stare melted away and she couldn't help but feel grateful to have him there.

"Thank you, Damon."

It was his turn to look at her strangely. "For being here. I didn't know how to get out of the kitchen and…I don't know. Just thank you."

He nodded, blue eyes soft. "Anytime."

* * *

**I'm surprised at how many people added this to their story alerts! I didn't even think it was that good. Just know, it made me super happy! **

**Reviews would be awesome. I wanna know what you guys think! **


	3. Chapter 3

Normalcy wasn't something that's easy to come by when you live a life like Elena Gilbert's.

Which is why it was so odd that these days things were finally starting to seem like they were looking up.

At least in some ways that is. Stefan was, as per usual, his coddling and constant "Are you okay?" self.

And she was okay most of the time. But for whatever reason it seemed like all the times she needed him he wasn't there. He only seemed to be around when she least needed him, or least wanted his consistent, "How are you feeling?"'s.

She was getting fed up with it. Not only that, but Elena was slightly appalled at herself for feeling so angry with him. He was only trying to help her.

In a way, that's what had always bothered her about him, even when she was human. He would treat her like a child when he shouldn't, or act like she was made of glass.

Which she wasn't. She could take care of herself when it mattered, or so she thought.

And while Stefan's babying gave her advantages most of the time, it was sort of over done. When they were first together she found it sort of endearing. It was as though he cared a lot and wanted to make sure she was always okay.

But like most things she found it god old fast, and though it was still somewhat sweet, more than anything she didn't like it all too much.

And then there was Damon. He wasn't around much these days, giving her the space he thought she needed. He was around when it counted though, and she was grateful he hadn't left or gotten angry with her after she said she had to let him go.

What he had done, was distanced himself from her. They didn't talk as much, and when they did it wasn't in the teasing way they used to. He wouldn't make flirty comments much, nor do that taunting eye-thing he always had.

That surprised her greatly. And though Elena would never admit it out loud, she missed it a lot.

And she supposed she had her relationship with Stefan to thank for that.

Not that she wasn't happy to have him back the way he used to be. She just thought she'd feel happier now that they were together. Given the proper circumstances (now that she wasn't human, now that they didn't have any problems looming over their heads) she thought they'd be on could nine.

It's not that she wasn't happy with him. It's just that things didn't feel the way she thought they would.

Elena continued to drive down the road. She wasn't sure where she was going, much less why she was bothering to drive in a car when she could run just about anywhere nowadays.

The thrumming vibration caught her attention and she fished around for her phone.

Of course, it was Stefan._ What are you up to?_

_Just going for a drive._ She responded simply.

**_Stefan: Oh. Well have fun._**

She was about to reply when it vibrated again.

**_Stefan: How are you feeling?_**

Really Stefan? She thought to herself. He had spoken to her about an hour ago. What could possibly change in that time? She sighed replying a simple,_ "Fine."_ tossing her phone to the seat.

She needed something to do, anything to make her feel better.

Funny how her attitude could change at the drop of a dime. She still wasn't used to her heightened emotions. One second she was calm, and the next she was fired up.

Or one second she was talking to Damon, the next he licked his lips, and all she got was memories of being pressed up against the wall his mouth unyielding against hers.

Some days she wanted nothing more than to kill him. And then he'd look at her with those blue eyes and through some unspoken communication they were okay again.

He phone thrummed again and she sighed, irritated. _Would Stefan ever learn she needs-_

And then she saw who it was from, and instantly she found herself curious.

**_Damon: Have any plans for the day?_**

_None at all, to be honest. Why?_

**_Damon: I thought maybe you could use another five minutes. A time out._**

She was temped. Beyond tempted.

_What did you have in mind?_

_**Damon: I was thinking a little trip to Georgia might be in order.**_

_Why are you inviting me?_

**_Damon: I told you before, you're not the worst company in the world, Elena._**

She felt herself smiling. _And why are you going to Georgia?_

**_Damon: There's a blood bank near Bree's old bar. We were getting low on it at the house, so I needed to restock. I just figured you might want to get out of the house for a bit. Or is Stefan totally against that?_**

She actually wanted to go, and that surprised her. And she was surprised about the implications this had. She wasn't more than two months old (in vampire time) and Damon trusted her to be around blood.

Granted she had been around people a lot more lately and was holding her own. That's not the point. This blood would be in bags, in the trunk of the car, which she would be cramped in for more than a few hours. To say that this would take a great deal of self control would be an understatement. She had no doubt she could do it, though. It would just take a little more concentration than usual.

It was nice to know somebody trusted her.

_Stefan's not the boss of me._

_**Damon: That's my girl.**_

She tried to ignore the silly butterflies she got in her stomach at Damon calling her his girl. She wrote it off as the unintentionally heightened emotions speaking.

_Where should I meet you?_

**_Damon: The boarding house is fine._**

With that she made the quickest u-turn she could and found herself actually smiling for the first time in weeks.

She wasn't sure how he did it, but Damon Salvatore had the ability to make her smile on a dime.

All she hoped was that Stefan would trust her to do this without him holding her hand in the process.

Not only was this a chance for Elena to prove she could handle her self-control just fine, but it would give Damon and Elena a chance to repair their relationship.

It seemed like road trips were their sort of therapy. Without everyone else around them giving their own two-cents about what they should be doing it was like Damon and Elena were finally able to just be themselves and work things out their own way.

There were so many things she wanted to say, she just didn't know how to say them. Being alone with him would give her the opportunity to say what was really on her mind.

She just hoped she would have the self-assurance to do it.

* * *

**Well I'll just say I'm surprised about the amount of favorites and alerts this story has gotten. And I'd kind of like to say thank you I guess. It's cool to know I'm not half bad at writing. **

**And I'd have updated sooner, but this last month there was a lot of troubles going on in my family and not more than a few weeks ago my grandmother passed away. It's been hard to try and write when she was always on my mind, but I think I'm getting to the point where I can again.  
**

**Aside from that I'd also like it if you took the time to review. It tells me if what I'm doing is good or not, and what I can improve on. So far the only ones who have reviewed are _beverlie4055 _and _Rahveryn_ (well plus a guest). And I'd like to thank both of them, _Rahveryn _especially. Her comments made me smile because they had a lot of thought to them :)  
**

**Just remember more reviews = quicker updates!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**_I've had it up to here with this, _**  
**_You're always calling,_**  
**_Girl you're just tripping,_**  
**_No I'm just falling over and over again_**  
**_[Calendar Pages - We Are The In Crowd]_**

"Why can't you just trust me on this?"

"Because in case you haven't noticed, you've just barely become a vampire!"

"Stefan I know what I'm doing!" Elena shouted, "Besides, Damon is going to be there every step of the way! Nothing is going to go wrong!"

"Last I remember Elena, you're a doppelganger, not psychic. Please just hear me out. I don't want you to do something you'll regret," Stefan approached.

"Last _I _remember, you were all for me making my own decisions," Elena spat. The more he spoke about something going wrong, the angrier she became. She knew she could handle this, why was he being so difficult? "Or is that only when it's convenient for you?"

Stefan floundered for an appropriate response.

"Let's get something straight here, Stefan; I can handle myself. I don't need you to hold my hand like I'm five years old, because I certainly am not!" With that she stormed out of the room, leaving behind a shocked looking Stefan, and an even more confused Damon.

_Since when did Elena talk to Stefan like that? _Damon thought.

Stefan's eyes flashed to where Damon was standing. "This is all your fault."

"Mine?" Damon asked, his tone annoyed. "I'm just trying to help her."

"And in what way is that?"

"I'm trying to help her deal with the hand she was dealt. In case you hadn't noticed Stefan, she might not be a pro at this, but she's certainly in control."

"And who are you to be the judge of that?"

"Someone more experienced than she is. We both know we've crossed paths with older vampires that are less controlled than the girl who just walked out the door. Why can't you just listen to her? She knows what's she's capable of. She doesn't need you to baby her every goddamn second of the day."

"I don't baby her. I'm just trying to protect her from making a mistake she'll regret." Stefan turned on his brother, "Why are you even here? She doesn't need you. In case it slipped your mind; Elena chose me."

"For the last time Stefan, I don't give a shit about that. I'm just here to help her as much as I can."

"Is that out of a guilty conscience?"

"What reason would I have to feel guilty? Her becoming a vampire wasn't my fault."

"You're the one who let Rebekah escape Alaric alive."

Damon threw his hands up in the air. He was beyond fucking done arguing with his brother. "Since when am I responsible for Rebekah? That's just it, I'm not. How was I supposed to know she would go after Elena? That's just it,_ I didn't._ And seeing as Klaus is dead and we're still here, that means he wasn't our sire. Which means one of the other crazy Originals is. Fucking with chance isn't something I like to do, and in case you can't put two and two together, I may have just saved our lives." He paused, both of them glaring at one another. "If anything, _Saint Stefan,_ this is your fault, because I'm not the one who left her at the bottom of a river to die."

"I didn't mean for her to die!"

"Sure you didn't. What did you think would happen?

"I-"

"Because in case you missed the memo Stefan, humans don't have_ gills._"

With that Damon took off out the door.

Elena was silent the first thirty minutes into the drive, and Damon could see she was still fuming.

"I don't think I've ever seen you speak to Stefan like that. Hell, I don't think I've ever seen _anyone _yell at him like that." He eyed her closely when she only shrugged in response. "Do I sense trouble in paradise?"

She shrugged again.

"C'mon Elena. You've got to give me more than that."

"Yes...No. I don't even know."

Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Not exactly. We're not fighting. It's more like...I'm the problem."

"How so?"

"He hasn't done anything wrong. It's more that I'm getting angry over _nothing _these days. I've been yelling at him the way I-"

"The way you yell at me when I make you angry." Damon said knowingly. "What has he done to get you so fired up? I'm hurt, Elena. I thought you reserved that treatment for me alone." He pouted. "I thought I was special."

Elena rolled her eyes at him. "He's not even doing anything wrong. He's just being Stefan; coddling and worrying."

"And it's bothering you."

"More than it should," she mumbled.

Back at the boarding house Stefan was a little more than agitated. Who was Damon to tell him that? To throw in his face the mistake he made?

And Elena. Since when did she treat him that way?

He'd seen her speak that way to Damon on many occasions. It was odd, though, to finally be on the other side of her angry remarks.

He heard footsteps approaching, thinking it was Elena he flashed to the door.

Not moments later, Katherine strode in like she owned the place, stiletto heels and all.

The hair was about the only thing that gave it away, that she wasn't Elena.

"Hello, Stefan." She purred.

"Katherine. Now really isn't the time."

"Mm. Elena giving you troubles?" Katherine tsk tsk'd. "Is my darling dishwater doppelganger growing bored with you, perhaps?"

"She's just having problems with the transition. It hasn't been easy on her."

Katherine turned to stone. "I do hope you're talking about her transition of moving into the boarding house."

"She's a vampire, Katherine." Stefan looked at her.

Angry wasn't strong enough a word for how Katherine felt.

"How?"

"Matt Donovan drove off Wickory Bridge with her in his truck."

"How come I saw the quarterback waltzing around town? Why didn't he drown?"

Stefan sighed. "I saved him. Left Elena. She wanted me to save him."

Katherine raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Oh. So you saved football boy, but left the _'love of your life' _presumably to die."

Stefan shrugged. "I don't have to justify my actions to you."

Katherine smirked. "Interesting. I think I'm going to stick around here awhile."

* * *

**Holy shit. It's been awhile. A long while. I've been trying to get something up, but then things got busy, and I've finally found some spare time for this. Not to mention my computer is dead. No trying to save it at all. It's driving me insane, the thing was like my baby. Within a few months though, hopefully I'll have another, and I won't be so deprived from the internet. If I can swindle a laptop from someone tomorrow, you can expect another update. That is, if anyone is even reading this anymore haha. I've got it written; it's just a matter of typing and posting it. **

**Comments and feedback make me smile! And are a great incentive to write :D**


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